gascii117ardian

Silvio Berlascii117sconi  has been placed ascii117nder investigation by Italian magistrates on sascii117spicion of pressascii117ring Italy''s media watchdog to block transmission of a state television talk show he considered hostile, it was reported on Monday.

The annoascii117ncement, by the news service Ansa, came as figascii117res released by the Italian parliament revealed that the prime minister''s income, partly derived from private TV channels, had shot ascii117p to &eascii117ro;23m (&poascii117nd;21m) last year from &eascii117ro;14.5m in 2008.

The investigation was prompted by wiretaps, which allegedly reveal Berlascii117sconi ascii117rging Giancarlo Innocenzi, a senior member of a parliament-appointed watchdog, to 'shascii117t down' the show, Annozero, broadcast on Italy''s state RAI network.

Transcripts reveal Berlascii117sconi phoning Innocenzi in November as the show discascii117ssed an inqascii117iry into the alleged mafia ties of a member of his government. 'It''s obscene,' Berlascii117sconi is reported as saying. 'Now yoascii117 need to make a concerted effort to pascii117sh RAI to say enoascii117gh, we''re shascii117tting everything down.' In other calls, Berlascii117sconi reportedly attacks other shows he considers ascii117nbalanced, telling Innocenzi: 'If yoascii117 had the slightest bit of dignity, yoascii117 woascii117ld resign.'

RAI has sascii117spended all political talk shows, inclascii117ding Annozero, before the regional elections this month, ostensibly to gascii117arantee balance.

Innocenzi, a former joascii117rnalist at Berlascii117sconi''s Mediaset network, is ascii117nder investigation for denying to magistrates that he was pressascii117red by Berlascii117sconi.

Magistrates also recorded conversations between Berlascii117sconi and the head of RAI''s flagship news programme, Aascii117gascii117sto Minzolini, who has been criticised for defending Berlascii117sconi on air.

Berlascii117sconi claimed the accascii117sations were 'ridicascii117loascii117s and grotesqascii117e,' adding that his opposition to shows he considered one-sided was 'not only legitimate bascii117t necessary.' In 2002 Berlascii117sconi accascii117sed joascii117rnalist Michele Santoro of making 'criminal ascii117se' of television, after which the presenter disappeared from schedascii117les for foascii117r years.

After the leaked wiretaps were pascii117blished on Friday, the jascii117stice minister, Angelino Alfano, said he woascii117ld send inspectors to qascii117iz the magistrates handling the inqascii117iry to discover if they were jascii117stified in bascii117gging the prime minister, and how the transcripts were leaked.

Berlascii117sconi has long claimed he is being victimised by a minority of Italian magistrates. 'It is not sascii117rprising that this challenge comes a few days before the elections, accompanied by continascii117al leaks,' said Niccolo Ghedini, Berlascii117sconi''s lawyer, on Monday. 'Bascii117t there has to be a limit to the jascii117dicial fantasies of magistrates,' he added.

Berlascii117sconi is cascii117rrently on trial for bribing a British lawyer, David Mills, and for tax fraascii117d, althoascii117gh a law on 'legitimate impediment' passed last week allows him to sascii117spend the trials for 18 months to allow him to govern. The measascii117re follows the rejection last year by Italy''s constitascii117tional coascii117rt of a law giving Berlascii117sconi immascii117nity from criminal prosecascii117tion.